บท 14: Twisted Heroics
(A/N: And so it begins…)
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[4 Weeks Later]
[Narrator's POV]
The room was stark and unforgiving, its concrete walls confining its inhabitants like the cold embrace of a crypt. The air was thick with the smell of molten metal where is permeated to the crypts darkest corners. The room was generously lit with white fluorescent lights, yet the room still carried with it a lingering dread that only came when walking alone at night.
The room was effectively divided in two halves. At the far end of the room was an unconscious, beautiful woman accompanied by three snakes protruding from her styled blonde hair. The lady lay strapped to a rusted metal table that had seen better days, her wrists and ankles secured with heavy metal restraints that could only be freed via an obvious key under her table.
Far above her unconscious face, a large foundry of molten gold was suspended in the air, carefully secured by an intricate device above. Around the foundry was a circle of powerful blow torches that kept the foundry and liquid inside glowing an ominous orange.
On the opposite end of the room positioned in a low crouch with his arms being held backwards was an unconscious man, bound by four thick, industrial chains. The chains were anchored to the floor and wall behind the man via heavy-duty brakes embedded deep into the concrete, each one designed to hold back an increasingly tougher level of resistance.
(A/N: For reference, Imagine Tai Lung's imprisonment, it looks similar)
On the wall that sat between both unconscious people was a large one-way mirror, where two more individuals sat free from harm. Adjacent to the mirror was a small and retro television screen that displayed nothing but black.
Behind the mirrors, the two men — John Kramer and Stendhal — conversed with each other, passing the time before the two Pro Heroes would wake from their slumber.
Stendhal leaned back against the cold concrete wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he observed tentatively. He had the look of a man who had seen too much, yet there was an unmistakable fire in his eyes — a burning conviction that matched Kramer's own.
"Uwabami was a tough one to catch," Stendhal remarked casually, his voice low and gravelly. "She rarely left her house, always holed up for some photoshoot or another. I had to wait for days just to find the right moment, and even then, it wasn't easy. Her snakes sensed something was off, made things… complicated…"
Kramer, standing beside him, nodded thoughtfully, his gaze never leaving the two heroes in the other room. "It was necessary," he replied in a measured tone, his voice carrying the weight of his years and the conviction of his beliefs.
"The time you took to capture her wasn't wasted. I needed every minute to ensure that the contraption could withstand Ingenium's speed. His quirk is formidable, and the last thing I wanted was for him to escape without understanding his lesson."
Stendhal glanced at Kramer, a hint of admiration in his eyes. "You think this will work? That he'll sacrifice a part of himself to save her?"
Kramer's lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. "That's the test, isn't it? How far is he willing to go to save the life of another? But that's his choice to make, not mine."
"If Ingenium injures himself, he won't be able to do any hero work," Stendhal remarked with a hint of skepticism in his voice. "Isn't that counterproductive to your idea of testing their worth? A cripple is worthless on the battlefield."
Kramer's gaze remained fixed on Ingenium as he replied. "It's not about preserving his ability to continue as a hero, but about testing the essence of who he is when faced with an impossible choice. True heroism isn't defined by a quirk or a title — it's defined by sacrifice. What's Ingenium willing to give up to save another life? What does his identity as a hero mean to him if it costs him everything?"
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in before continuing. "If he chooses to save Uwabami at the expense of his ability to be a hero, he proves that his title is more than just a role — it's a commitment to others no matter the personal cost. If he doesn't, then perhaps his hero work wasn't as selfless as it seemed…"
Stendhal considered Kramer's words before slowly nodding. "So, either he sacrifices himself and proves his worth, or he doesn't, and reveals his true nature."
"Exactly," Kramer responded, his voice carrying the conviction of someone who had thought of every possibility. "This is more than a test of physical endurance; it's a test of the mind. And if Ingenium loses the ability to be a hero because of his choice, then perhaps he was never meant to be one in the first place."
"And what about Uwabami? From the looks of things she doesn't have much of a choice strapped to that table there."
Kramer's gaze switched to Uwabami, the molten gold looming forebodingly above her. "Every choice has consequences, Stendhal. Uwabami's survival depends on her ability to compel Ingenium to act. Whether she lives or dies isn't up to me — it's up to them."
Stendhal's lips curled into a thin smile. "You really do believe in these tests, don't you?" Kramer's eyes narrowed with a steely resolve.
"More than anything…"
[??? ??? Later]
Uwabami was the first to wake up, a faint groan of pain escaping her lips as she began to regain consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered, the world around her coming into focus as her vision cleared.
She was lying flat on her back, the cold metal beneath her pressing uncomfortably against her body. Her arms and legs felt heavy and restrained, taking a moment for her to realize why.
Her heart rate spiked as the realization hit her — she was bound. Her wrists and ankles were tightly secured by thick metal restraints, holding her firmly against the table. Panic began to set in as the snakes on her hair collectively hissed as if they were panicking with their master.
"Where… where am I?" she whispered, her voice trembling as her eyes darted everywhere.
She took immediate notice of the blow torches heating a foundry which hung over her face, just far enough so that the heat didn't make her sweat. The sight was enough to, ironically, freeze the blood in her veins.
It was then that a sound came from across and caught her attention, pulling the focus away from the impending threat above her. She turned her head, her eyes widening as she spotted another figure. Ingenium was slumped forward, held in place by thick industrial chains anchored to the floor and wall behind him.
He too was slowly waking up. "Ingenium…!" Uwabami said in a desperate whisper, calling out to the hero in a hurry.
Her voice seemed to stir him as slowly, the man began to get up. His head lifted weakly, and he blinked groggily as his surroundings came into focus. It took him a moment to fully comprehend the situation, but when he did, his reaction was immediate. He struggled against the chains that held firm against his strength.
"Uwabami? What's going on? Where are we?" Ingenium's voice was hoarse, his confusion evident as he glanced around the room.
Before Uwabami could respond, the television screen adjacent to the one-way mirror flashed to life, casting a cold, bluish light across the room that countered the orange glow of the blow torches and the white lights above. In it, a mechanical puppet dawned in a black suit and a sinister grin.
"Greetings, Uwabami and Tensei Ida," the puppet spoke ominously.
"I want to play a game."
"Both of you have been brought here today because you've been given the mantle of heroes, but what does that title truly mean to you? Heroism is not simply about strength, speed, or the glory of public adoration — it is about sacrifice, the willingness to endure pain and loss for the sake of others. Today, you will face a choice that will test the very core of what it means to be a hero."
The puppet's head tilted slightly as it addressed Uwabami, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at the molten gold hanging ominously above her.
"Uwabami, you have lived a life of luxury, but your beauty and fame have shielded you from the true cost of heroism. Today, you are as helpless, just like the lives of people you chose to ignore for photoshoots and signatures. The molten gold above you will wither away at your superficial exterior, revealing the truth beneath. Your only hope lies with Ingenium."
The puppet then turned its gaze to Ingenium, who was still struggling against his chains, his breath heavy with exertion.
"Ingenium, you pride yourself on your speed, your ability to race into danger and save those in need. But speed alone cannot save you here. You are bound by four chains designed to test your limits. Each link in these chains represents a choice you have made in your career — a choice that has brought you to this very moment. To break free, you must push yourself to the brink, using your quirk to shatter the restraints that confined you."
The puppet's voice grew colder and more sinister as it pressed on.
"However, breaking free comes at a cost. The chains are attached to your engines, and with every burst of speed, you risk tearing them apart. The faster you run, the more you will damage what defines you as a hero. But that's the price of sacrifice. If you choose to save Uwabami, you will no longer be the hero you once were."
A pause, and then the puppet's voice dropped lower, almost a whisper.
"But if you choose not to act, the consequences will be even graver. The molten gold will pour down on Uwabami, burying her in a tomb of your making — a tomb you will share with her. For if you do not save her, you will be locked in this room forever, trapped with the corpse of the one you allowed to die. You will remain here, alone in a prison of your cowardice, the echo of your failure being your only companion."
"A hero, buried alive with the weight of his actions."
The puppet's grin metaphorically widened, its eyes narrowing with a chilling finality.
"Will you sacrifice everything to save her, or will you let her die and bury yourself alongside her in this tomb of regret? Time is running out, Ingenium…"
"Live or die, make your choice."
The television screen flickered to a countdown of three minutes, plunging the room into silence that was only broken by the faint hiss of the blow torches, the snakes, and the timer itself. The game had begun, and there was no time to waste.
"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!!!" Uwabami screamed with a force that could shatter glass, the snakes in her hair reverting to their primal instincts and thrashing all over. Her voice was filled with fear as tears started to form in her eyes, threatening to ruin her makeup.
"INGENIUM," she called out hastily. "SAVE ME! YOU MUST! PLEASE!" the speedster looked at her, seeing the terror etched into her face as he gazed upon the scolding hot foundry above her, which was ever-so-slightly tilting with each passing second.
The man stood up as his engines roared to life, vibrating with the intensity of a machine ready to burst. The chains clanked and rattled, resisting his every attempt to pull free. In the grand scheme of things, she was so close within reach, yet so far away.
"It's… MOVING!" Uwabami bawled in terror as she took quick notice of the foundry slowly tipping. "INGENIUM GO FASTER FOR FUCKS SAKE, PLEASE!" Ingenium screamed with all his might as flames blasted from his engines as Uwabami thrashed with the force of a thousand hungry lions.
"I DON'T WANT MY FACE TO BE RUINED," she cried in agony as the foundry let out its first drop of molten gold, landing directly on the hero's right eye. Ingenium momentarily winced at the sight as Uwabami let out a scream filled with nothing but agony.
"GGGGGRRAHHHHHHHHH!!! INGENIUM PLEASE SAVE ME, IT BURNS, IT BURNS PLEASE HELP MEEEEEEEEE!!!" The molten drop of gold easily burned her eyelids and lashes as the liquid made its way into the intricate gaps of her eye socket. Tears that were once there instantly evaporated, the molten gold making quick work of liquifying her cornea.
The snakes on her head were not spared her pain and suffering. Sharing one body, their nervous system was one as they too hissed and scrambled with all their might, wanting to be set free from such torture.
"Come on… COME ON!" Ingenium shouted to himself, his muscles straining as he pushed harder, feeling the sharp pain of the cables biting into his flesh.
With a loud snap, the first chain on his arm broke free. Pain instantly shot through his arm and the rest of his body, but that didn't stop him. Every second counted, the countdown on the screen being a cruel reminder of time slipping away.
Ingenium's engines grew louder as if they were tearing at the seams while the chains grew tighter, droplets of blood finding their way to the floor beneath him. Sweat poured down his face from the sheer heat of his exhaust pipes as the room echoed his futile struggle.
The foundry above tipped a little further as a few more golden droplets landed on Uwabami's cheek. The sound and the smell of flesh sizzling permeated throughout the room as if someone was starting up a barbecue.
"GRAHHHHHHHHHHH-" Uwabami let out another screech filled with nothing but anguish. The area around the molten gold immediately turned a deep red as the metal sunk deeper and deeper, blood and tears mixing like some sort of horrific concoction of suffering.
"MY FACE, INGENIUM, MY FACE! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SAVE ME! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
Two more chains on Ingenium's other arm shattered into a million pieces, the hero feeling like he wanted to faint. Parts of the exhausts were ripped out of his arms with bits and pieces of his flesh still attached to the metal pipes.
Blood continued to pour out of his wounds as smoke collected behind him like some sort of dark could. "ONE MORE GODDAMNIT, ONE MORE!" he screamed to himself, fighting the pain and for the life of Uwabami in front of him.
Twenty seconds left.
The final chain was the toughest to break. It felt like his right arm was being torn apart. His engines were nearly at his breaking point as his vision was going blurry from the pain and the exhaustion.
"PLEASE INGENIUM, YOU'RE ALMOST THERE! JUST GO FASTER PLEASE I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING DIE!"
SNAP!
The final chain gave way as Ingenium stumbled forward from the excess momentum. Blood splattered on the wall behind him, painting it a crimson red as the smoke from his quirk ceased. His engines were damaged beyond repair, but there was no time to think about that.
He had to save her.
With the seconds fleeting by like grains of sand in an ancient timer, Ingenium rushed towards Uwabami, his heart beating so frantically it could have given up right then and there. But as he reached out for the keys below her…
The timer hit zero.
The mechanism fully activated above Uwabami as the molten gold began to pour a thick, molten steam of death toward her terrified face.
"NO!" Ingenium's voice was raw, filled with horror as he saw the liquid come into contact with her face. Her hair, once a beautiful blonde bouquet, evaporated, engulfed in flames and replaced by metal that melted her scalp and fried her brains.
Her snakes hissed in absolute despair before one by one, their souls moved on, moving from one world to another where they could hopefully live out life again.
The gold melted away the natural cartilage and plastics from previous surgeries from her nose, the golden liquid of death stealing her sight as her eyeballs melted as the gold filled her now empty eye sockets.
The room was filled with the sickening smell of burning flesh and the hissing of cooling metal as Ingenium stood in deafening silence, watching the golden liquid cover her face, presenting her with a crown suited only for a queen.
Tears welled up in Ingenium's eyes as he stared at her lifeless form, guilt and despair washing over him like a tidal wave. He had failed. He had broken free, but it wasn't enough. He hadn't been fast enough, hadn't been strong enough. He had lost everything — his engines, his pride, and most of all, the life of a person he had failed to protect…
The screen flickered back to life, the puppet's sinister face returning to gloat over the tragedy.
"Game over…"
(A/N: I was initially planning on having Uwabami undergo the hair trap from SAW IV, but remembered the "A Crown for a King" scene from GoT, and decided to go for that instead. Hopefully, the writing lived up to your expectations as I can only write for so long until it starts to sound the same again!
Off-topic, but University is gonna kill me man… might be worse than John Kramer lol.
Otherwise, how was the chapter? Let me know with a comment and a review! Don't forget to Don't forget to vote for the chapter (Wattpad), or drop some power stones (Webnovel) as those are always appreciated!)
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